What it feels like to be anemic?

Anemia is a condition in which you lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your body's tissues. Having anemia, also referred to as low hemoglobin, can make you feel tired and weak. There are many forms of anemia, each with its own cause.
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Can anemia make you feel weird?

Not even your mental health is spared from anemia. Because symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, lack of energy, fatigue, racing heartbeat, and restlessness are so closely linked to depression and anxiety, they can sometimes be mistaken for these mental health concerns.
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How you will know if you are anemic?

Iron deficiency anemia signs and symptoms may include: Extreme fatigue. Weakness. Pale skin.
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How can you tell if your anemic at home?

Self-Checks/At-Home Testing
  1. Fatigue (feeling tired or as though you don't have enough energy to do everyday things)
  2. Difficulty concentrating.
  3. Dizziness.
  4. Cold hands and/or feet.
  5. Shortness of breath on exertion.
  6. Heart palpitations.
  7. Headaches.
  8. Pica (cravings for non-food items, such as grass, ice, dirt, etc.)
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What to Expect When You're anemic?

If you have anemia, your hemoglobin level will be low too. If it is low enough, your tissues or organs may not get enough oxygen. Symptoms of anemia -- like fatigue or shortness of breath -- happen because your organs aren't getting what they need to work the way they should.
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What is #Anemia? The Symptoms of Iron Deficiency



What are the 3 main causes of anemia?

Anemia has three main causes: blood loss, lack of red blood cell production, and high rates of red blood cell destruction. Conditions that may lead to anemia include: Heavy periods. Pregnancy.
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Is being anemic serious?

In many cases, it's mild, but anemia can also be serious and life-threatening. Anemia can happen because: Your body doesn't make enough red blood cells. Bleeding causes you to lose red blood cells more quickly than they can be replaced.
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What do eyes look like with anemia?

If you pull your lower eyelid down while looking in a mirror, the inside layer should be a vibrant red color. If it's a very pale pink or yellow, you may have iron deficiency. In people with darker skin tones, the eyelid may be the only area where this condition is noticeable.
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Does anemia affect your eyes?

ANEMIA AFFECTS THE EYES: Anemia can affect the eyes, especially the retina, or the inside of the eye which captures images and sends them to the brain. Sometimes anemia, or low blood count, can even cause bleeding in your eyes and loss of vision.
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Can low iron cause anxiety?

A large 2020 study in BMC Psychiatry found that people with iron deficiency anemia had a significantly higher incidence and risk of anxiety disorders, depression, sleep disorder, and psychotic disorders.
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What does an anemic tongue look like?

Pernicious Anemia Tongue Symptoms

Pernicious anemia causes the tongue's surface to look smooth and appear red instead of the pinkish color of a normal tongue. The tongue might also appear thick or beefy in texture. Some tongues might even be swollen or seem to have cracks.
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What do nails look like with anemia?

Spoon nails are thin and soft and shaped like a little spoon that is often capable of holding a drop of water. There are many causes, but the most frequent one is iron deficiency anemia.
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How can I check my iron levels at home?

How do I use an at-home iron test?
  1. Order a kit online or at a local pharmacy.
  2. Use the provided testing materials to perform a finger prick.
  3. Collect a blood sample.
  4. Send the sample to a laboratory.
  5. Wait for the results.
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What happens if you ignore anemia?

If left untreated, iron-deficiency anemia can cause serious health problems. Having too little oxygen in the body can damage organs. With anemia, the heart must work harder to make up for the lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin. This extra work can harm the heart.
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Can you pass out from low iron?

Symptoms of Iron Deficiency Anemia:

If you are severely anemic, you may have shortness of breath, chest discomfort, palpations, or feel faint like you are going to pass out.
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Can anemia make you feel shaky?

Constant chills and fatigue may mean you are low on iron. “Causes of an iron deficiency can range from poor diet to a serious illness,” says family medicine physician David Brill, DO.
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Can anemia make you feel dizzy?

Anemia is a lack of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin in your blood, which carry oxygen to your organs — including your brain. The hallmark of anemia is tiredness, but it can also cause you to feel faint and dizzy.
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Can low iron cause stuffy nose?

Can I Get A Sinus Infection From Anemia? Yes. Because white blood cells are responsible for fighting harmful bacteria, patients with aplastic anemia are frequently at a much higher risk of sinus infections.
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What does fatigue from anemia feel like?

If you're feeling tired or weak, having trouble sleeping and are unable to tolerate even moderate exercise, anemia could be the culprit. Anemia develops when there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen through your body.
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What kind of headache does anemia cause?

Like a lack of iron, low levels of some vitamins, such as B-12 and folate, can cause anemia. These types of anemia also result in reduced oxygen levels in the brain, which can cause basic headaches.
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Does anaemia make you cold?

Anemia occurs when there are not enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to your body's organs. As a result, it's common to feel cold and symptoms of tiredness or weakness.
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Can anemia make you itchy?

People with iron deficiency anemia may experience itchy skin (pruritis) that can become red, bumpy and sore when scratched. Rashes associated with aplastic anemia usually appear as tiny red or purple dots under your skin (petechiae). The dots can form large patches but aren't usually itchy or painful.
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What is the fastest way to cure anemia?

If you have iron-deficiency anemia, taking iron orally or getting iron administered intravenously along with vitamin C is often the fastest way to raise your iron levels. Iron is necessary to produce hemoglobin in red blood cells, which helps the RBCs carry oxygen to organs and other tissues of the body.
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How do I know if my anemia is getting worse?

But when the anemia gets worse, fatigue and weakness may appear.
...
One or more of these other signs may also appear:
  1. Dizziness.
  2. Headaches.
  3. Low body temperature.
  4. Pale or sallow (yellowish) skin.
  5. Rapid or irregular heartbeat.
  6. Shortness of breath or chest pain, especially when you're physically active.
  7. Brittle nails.
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Can you live a long life with anemia?

Living with anemia

Following treatment, most people go on to live normal, healthy lives. However, anemia can have lasting, or life-threatening, effects. These are more common if the condition is chronic, severe, or left untreated.
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